National Freedom Front (NFF) Leader Wimal Weerawansa, in Parliament today claimed that the five Army personnel arrested in connection to the assault on journalist Keith Noyahr, were not involved in the incident.

“This is a deliberate move to betray officers of the Army’s intelligence,” the parliamentarian, who is currently in remand custody, said. “These five officers were arrested only because their mobile phone usage was within the radius Dehiwala telecommunication tower.”

The MP further alleged that the photos of the five Army personnel were sent across to Keith Noyahr prior to the identification parade, and that Noyahr had picked out the ones based on the photos sent to him.

The NFF parliamentarian, who is being investigated on charges he caused the government a loss of Rs. 91 million by using 45 state-owned vehicles for the private use of his family and friends while minister of Housing in the previous government, was insistent the arrest was a set-up, to tarnish the good name of the armed forces.